Articulated apparatus for telemanipulator system

ABSTRACT

An articulated apparatus is disclosed that includes an actuator base and a plurality of serially coupled link members that are mutually joined to one another at a plurality of joints. Each of the serially coupled link members has an axis of rotation. The plurality of link member includes a proximal link member that is proximal to the actuator base, and a distal link member that is distal to the actuator base, and each link member includes a proximal end and a distal end. The apparatus also includes a plurality of actuators that are located at the base, and each actuator is associated with a respective link member. The apparatus further includes a plurality of tendons, each of which is coupled to an actuator and a respective link member for effecting movement of the link member with respect to the actuator base. At least one tendon is for effecting movement of at least one link member, and passes through the axis of rotation of each joint that is between the distal end of the at least one link member and the actuator base.

This application is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/375,666filed Aug. 17, 1999 and now U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,017, which is acontinuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 09/028,550 filed Feb. 24,1998, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to robotics and particularly relates totelerobotic surgery.

Telerobotic surgical devices are well suited for use in performingendoscopic (or minimal access) surgery, as opposed to conventionalsurgery where the patient's body cavity is open to permit the surgeon'shands access to internal organs. Endoscopic techniques involveperforming an operation through small (about 5 mm to 10 mm) skinincisions through which instruments are inserted for performing thesurgical procedure. A video camera may also be inserted into the patientin the area of the surgical site to view the procedure. Endoscopicsurgery is typically less traumatic than conventional surgery, in part,due to the significantly reduced size of the incision. Further,hospitalization periods are shorter and recovery periods may be quickerwhen surgery is performed endoscopically rather than conventionally.

It is, of course, important that the surgeon have some feedback from thesurgical site, e.g., visual feedback either through a camera and fiberoptic cable, or through real-time computerized tomography scan imagery.Even with good visualization, however, the surgeon's tactile andposition senses are physically removed from the operative site renderingthe endoscopic procedure slow and clumsy. Current instrumentation, withforceps, scissors, etc., inserted into the body at the end of longslender push rods is not fully satisfactory. The use of suchconventional instrumentation may result in longer operative time, andpotentially higher risks, for example if a ruptured artery cannot bequickly closed off then significant blood loss may occur. Moreover,there are limitations on the type and complexity of procedures that canbe performed endoscopically due, in part, to the limitations on theinstruments that may be employed.

Limited development work has been undertaken to investigate the use ofrobots in surgery. The robot at the surgical site, however, must besmall and light enough that it may be easily manipulated around andinside of the patient, yet strong enough to perform effective surgery.The controls for the robot must also be precise and not sloppy.Presently existing telerobotic systems, using manipulators both with andwithout haptic feedback, are generally too bulky and heavy for manyendoscopic techniques, or are too weak and imprecise for surgery.

There is a need, therefore, for a micro-manipulator that is strong andprecise in its movements, yet is small, light and easily manipulated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides an articulated apparatus that includes anactuator base and a plurality of serially coupled link members that aremutually joined to one another at a plurality of joints. Each of theserially coupled link members has an axis of rotation. The plurality oflink member includes a proximal link member that is proximal to theactuator base, and a distal link member that is distal to the actuatorbase, and each link member includes a proximal end and a distal end. Theapparatus also includes a plurality of actuators that are located at thebase, and each actuator is associated with a respective link member. Theapparatus further includes a plurality of tendons, each of which iscoupled to an actuator and a respective link member for effectingmovement of the link member with respect to the actuator base. At leastone tendon is for effecting movement of at least one link member, andpasses through the axis of rotation of each joint that is between thedistal end of the at least one link member and the actuator base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of the illustrated embodiments may befurther understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative view of a system incorporating the benefitsof the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a diagrammatic representation of the relative rotationalmovements of the joints in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative isometric view of the handle portion of thesystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative top view of the handle portion shown inFIG. 3 with a portion of the outer housing removed;

FIG. 5 shows an illustrative side view of the handle portion shown inFIG. 3 with a portion of the outer housing removed;

FIGS. 6 through 11 show illustrative sectional views of the handleportion shown in FIG. 5 taken along lines 6—6 through 11—11 respectivelythereof;

FIGS. 12 and 13 show illustrative side and top views respectively of thehandle axial rotation portion of the system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 shows an illustrative and partially exploded isometric view ofthe rotating bearings of FIGS. 12 and 13;

FIG. 15 shows an illustrative view of the cable collector of FIGS. 12and 13 with its housing partially removed;

FIGS. 16 through 18 show illustrative sectional views of the cablecollector of FIG. 15 taken along lines 16—16 through 18—18 respectivelythereof;

FIG. 19 shows an illustrative side view of the elbow joint portion ofthe master robot shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 20 and 21 show illustrative sectional views of the elbow jointportion shown in FIG. 19 taken along lines 20—20 and 21—21 thereof;

FIG. 22 shows an illustrative rear view of the elbow joint of FIG. 19taken along line 22—22 thereof;

FIG. 23 is an illustrative front view the base and shoulder portions ofthe master robot of FIG. 1;

FIG. 24 is an illustrative side view of the shoulder portion of therobot of FIG. 1 taken along line 24—24 of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a portion of the base portion of FIG. 23 takenalong line 25—25 thereof;

FIGS. 26 and 27 are illustrative top and side views respectively of thegripper portion of the system of FIG. 1 with the housing partiallyremoved;

FIGS. 28-33 are illustrative sectional views of the gripper portion ofFIG. 27 taken along lines 28—28 through 33—33 respectively thereof;

FIGS. 34 and 35 show operational steps of different embodiments ofsystems incorporating the invention;

FIGS. 36 and 37 show illustrative side views of a portion of anotherembodiment of the invention involving a four bar linkage in twodifferent positions;

FIG. 38 shows an illustrative isometric view of another embodiment of agripper mechanism of a system of the invention;

FIG. 39 shows an illustrative side view of a portion of the gripperassembly shown in FIG. 38; and

FIG. 40 shows an illustrative top view of the portion of the gripperassembly shown in FIG. 39.

The drawings are not to scale and are intended to be illustrative of theoperation of various systems of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The invention provides a micro-manipulator that is suitable for use inendoscopic surgery. During use, the surgeon should have the familiarityand surety of experiencing his or her hands within the patient at theoperative site, while the surgeon's hands are placed within a sensoryinterface outside of the patient. The sensory interface, or masterrobot, precisely reflects the tactile environment of the robotic hand tothe operator's fingers. This haptic interface electronically connectsthe surgeon's hand and wrist position and motion to themicro-manipulator within the patient. The digital informationcommunicated between the haptic interface and robotic manipulator istransmitted through the endoscopic device, whether it be a laparoscope,thoracoscope, arthroscope, laryngoscope or other minimal access surgicaldevice.

Due to the electronic digital interface, it is not required that thehaptic interface and micro-manipulator be mechanically connected. Thispermits civilian, as well as military, physicians to provide care topatients located in remote or potentially hostile environments viatelepresence. Telepresence .with appropriate sensing instruments couldpermit one surgeon to conduct operations at different sites (anydistance apart) without traveling. Systems incorporating the inventionalso permit sterile isolation of the slave robot at the operation sitefrom the master robot and surgeon.

As shown in FIG. 1, a system 10 including benefits of the inventionincludes a master robot 12, a central processor 14, and a slave robot16. The system may be used by positioning the end effector tip 18 of theslave robot 16 through a trocar sleeve 20 into a patient 22 duringsurgery. During use, a surgeon may manipulate the end effector handleunit 24 of the master robot, to effect the desired positioning andmovement of the grippers on the tip unit 18 within the patient 22. Thesystem may also include a fiber optic cable with a camera (not shown) atits distal end within the surgical site. The fiber optic cable isconnected to a video system (not shown) for viewing the surgical site.The camera may be mounted on the instrument tip unit 18, or may bepositioned away from the site to provide additional perspective on thesurgical operation. In certain situations, it may be desirable toprovide the camera through an incision other than the one through whichthe trocar sleeve 20 and instrument have been inserted into the patient.

The master robot 12 includes handles 26, 27 similar to the scissorhandles on a conventional surgical instrument. These handles may beindependently rotated about two joints having a common axis generallyindicated at 28. The pair of handles may then be rotated about a jointgenerally indicated at 30 that has an axis of rotation orthogonallydisposed to the axis of rotation of the other two joints at 23. Thisstructure may then be rotated axially about an axial joint generallylocated at 32, which in turn may be rotated about an elbow jointgenerally located at 34, a shoulder joint generally located at 36, and abase rotation joint generally located at 38. The relative rotationalmovements of these joints are diagrammatically depicted in FIG. 2.

The slave robot 16 includes a base rotation joint 40, a shoulderrotation joint 42, and an elbow rotation joint 44 each similar to thejoints 38, 36, and 34 of the master robot 12. The slave robot 16 alsoincludes two free joints 46 and 48 that provide axial and longitudinalrotation without being connected to any motors. This permits the arm ofthe slave robot to freely move relative the incision point through thetrocar generally indicated at P. The slave robot 16 also includes anaxial rotation joint 50 providing axial rotation of the tip unit 18, aswell as joints 52 and 54 that provide movement of the grippers bothindependently and together. The relative rotational movements of thesejoints are also diagrammatically depicted in FIG. 2.

Significantly, the motors that control the joints proximate the handle26 in the master robot 12 are located in the base 58, and the motorsthat control the joints in the slave robot 16 proximate the grippers 56,57 are located in the base 60 of the slave robot 16. Cables extend frommotors in the base up through each section and joint to control andmonitor movement of the non-free joints as will be discussed furtherbelow. This permits the robots, and in particular the end effectorportion of the slave robot, to be both small and light. In a preferredembodiment, all of the motors are located in the base of each respectiverobot.

As shown in FIGS. 3 through 5, the handles 26, 27 of the system on FIG.1 are attached to handle pulleys 62. Cables 64 a-64 d extend from thehandle pulleys 62 and pass around additional pulleys within the handleunit 24. The cables 64 then extend toward the next proximate section ofthe robot, and eventually terminate in the base 58. Specifically, andwith reference to the sectional views shown in FIGS. 6 through 11, thecables 64 extend from the handle pulleys 62 (FIG. 6), then pass aroundtwo split level pulleys 66 (FIG. 7), then around another pulley 68 (FIG.8) to bring the cables near a set of four larger diameter pulleys 70(FIG. 9), and finally to a set of four alignment pulleys 72 (FIG. 10).

The cables may be formed of any high strength, high molecular weightpolyethylene (or other polymeric) fibers such as SPECTRA or VECTRANpolymers. The cables may be {fraction (80/1000)} of an inch in diameter,and may be either two single loop cables that are fixed to the handlepulleys 62, or may comprise four separate cables, each of which is fixedto the handle pulleys 62. The pulleys may be formed of any suitablematerial, e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and the guide pulleys 66,68 and 72 may either be independently freely rotating or fixed. Thevarious portions of pulleys 68 and 72 may also rotate independent of oneanother. Pulleys 62 includes two pulleys that may rotated independent ofone another, and pulleys 70 include four pulleys that may rotatedindependent of one another. Spacers formed of PTFE tape may also beinserted between adjacent independently rotating pulleys, such as isshown between adjacent pulley wheels 70 in FIG. 9. The spacers 71 permitrotation of the pulleys relative each other with decreased friction, andhelp maintain placement of the cables on the pulleys.

The handle unit 24 provides three degrees of freedom of movement asfollows. When one of the handles 26 is moved relative the other 27, thepairs of cables 64 a and 64 c will produce reciprocal movement, and thepair of cables 64 b and 64 d will produce reciprocal movement as may bediscerned from FIG. 3. With reference to FIGS. 3, 5 and 9, however, whenthe handles are rotated together about joint 30 which is coincident withthe centers of pulleys 70, the cables 64 b and 64 d will move togetherin a direction opposite the direction of movement of cables 64 a and 64c. See FIG. 9. A surgeon, therefore, may hold the handles 26, 27 withhis or her thumb and forefinger, and may place a third finger againstthe handle unit at the location of the housing generally indicated at Ain FIG. 3. In alternative embodiments, the cables may be run in avariety of ways, for example the placement of cables 64 c and 64 d maybe swapped on pulleys 70, 72 and 74.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the axial rotational joint 32 on the masterrobot 12 of FIG. 1, is driven by two cables 74 a and 74 b. The cablesextend radially outwardly from one robot arm member 76, around one setof pulleys each positioned over another arm member 78 fixed to the armmember 76, and then are attached to an adjoining arm member 80. Byrotating the arm member 80 with respect to the arm member 76, the cables74 a and 74 b will alternately move in opposite directions. A safety tiestrap 82 may be fixed to each of the arms 78 and 80 to prevent rotationbeyond a certain range. This will prevent damage to the cables from overrotation since the cables 64 that extend from the handle unit 24 runthrough the center of the arm members 78 and 80 as shown. The arm member80 also includes internal rotational bearing 83 through which the cablespass as shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 14 illustrates the rotationalrelationship of the cable arms 78 and 80 (shown slightly spaced apart.The positioning of the cables 64 in the center of the sections 80 and 78permits the section 80 to be rotated with respect to section 78 aboutjoint 32 without significant attendant movement of the cables 64.

As shown in phantom in FIG. 12, a cable collector 84 is located withinthe robot section 76. The cable collector 84 receives the cables 64 thatare positioned within the center of the sections 80 and 78, anddistributes the cables approximately along a plane B that is extendswithin the section 76 toward the next joint as shown in FIGS. 12, 13 and19. Cable collectors similar to cable collector 84 are used in severalother places in the robots 12 and 16, wherever it is convenient toreceive a centrally bundled set of cables at one end and produce aplanar distribution of the cables at the other end, or vice versa. Thecable collector 84 may be used to distribute six cables instead of thefour shown by feeding the two additional cables through the upperpulleys 86 shown in FIG. 16 (similar to cable pairs 64 a, 64 b and 64 c,64 d). The fifth and sixth cables would then pass around the upperpulleys 88 shown in FIG. 17 (similar to cables 64 c, 64 d), and finallyaround the outside of the pulleys 90 (again, similar to the cables 64 cand 64 d). Applicants have discovered that although the two additionalcables will be positioned directly above the two other cables (64 c and64 d), the two upper cables will fan out away from the cables 64 a-64 dto form the planar distribution, in part, because the receiving pulleysat the elbow joint 34 urge the cables to form a planar distribution.

The cables 74 a and 74 b that control the axial rotation joint 32 extendabove the cable connector 84 within the section 84, and approach theplane B, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20. The cables 64 and 74 are receivedbetween two sets of pulleys 78 and 80, each set including six mutuallyindependently rotatable pulleys as shown in FIG. 22. The pulleys 78 and80 ensure that the cables 64 and 74 remain approximately in the centerof the joint 34 as the section 80 is rotated about the section 78 of therobot 12. This permits the section 76 to be rotated with respect to thesection 82 about the joint 34 without significant attendant movement ofthe cables 64 and 74.

The joint 34 is actuated by either of cables 84 a and 84 b which extendaround pulleys 86 a and 86 b respectively in opposite directions, andterminate at fixed points 88 a and 88 b respectively on opposite sidesof section 76 as shown in FIGS. 19 and 22. The cables 64, 74, and 84extend through the section 82 along a plane generally indicated at C inFIG. 22.

As shown in FIG. 23, the cables 64, and 74 are received between anothertwo sets of pulleys 90 and 92 at the proximal end of section 82 withinjoint 36. Each set of pulleys 90 and 92 also includes six independentlyrotatable pulleys, and the pulleys 90 and 92 are positioned to permitthe cables 64 and 74 to extend through approximately the center to thejoint 36. The section 82 may therefore be rotated with respect to thebase section 94 about joint 36 without significant attendant movement ofthe cables 64 and 74. The cables 84 a and 84 b extend through the joint36 around pulleys 96 a and 96 b respectively, and then around pulleys 98a and 98 b respectively as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. The cable 84 a thenwraps around one more pulley 100 a, and then both cables 84 a and 84 bare brought to a hollow termination cylinder 102. In a preferredembodiment, the ends of the two cables 84 wrapped around the cylinder102 are attached to each other, forming a single cable 84. As thecylinder 102 is rotated between alternate directions, the joint 34 isactuated in mutually opposing directions.

The shoulder section 94 may be rotated with respect to the base 106providing a joint 38 that has an axis of rotation that is perpendicularto the axis of rotation of the joint 36 (as shown in FIG. 2). The cables64 and 74 extend through a cable collector 104 similar to the cablecollector described above with reference to FIGS. 15-18, except that sixcables are run through the cable collector 104. The cables extend fromthe collector 104 toward the base 106 in three pairs that are positionedsuch that cables 74 a and 74 b are visible in FIG. 23, and cables 74 b,64 b, and 64d are visible in FIG. 24.

Rotation about joint 34 may be effected by controlling the movement ofthe motor M1, which causes cylinders 108, 110 and 102 to rotate, therebyeffecting movement of cables 84 causing rotation of the section 76 withrespect to section 82 with respect to the joint 34.

Rotation may be effected about joint 36 by controlling the movement ofthe motor M2, which causes cylinders 112 and 114 to rotate. Cylinder 114is fixed to the section 82, so rotation of the cylinder 114 causesrotation of the section 82 with respect to the shoulder section 94 aboutjoint 36.

Rotation about joint 38 may be achieved by controlling the movement ofthe motor M3, which causes cylinders 116, 118, and 120 to rotate,thereby effecting movement of the shoulder section 94 with respect tothe base 106 about joint 38.

The remaining six joints are controlled by the remaining six motors inthe base. Only two of the remaining motors M4 and M5 are shown in FIG.23. The other four motors are positioned in the base behind the drivesystem for motors M4 and M5, as indicated in FIG. 25, and operatesimilar to the systems of motors M4 and M5. In particular, cable 64 cmay be drawn toward the base by controlling the movement of the motorM4, which causes cylinders 122 and 124 to rotate. Similarly, cable 64 dmay be drawn toward the base by controlling the movement of the motorM5, which causes cylinders 126 and 128 to rotate. With reference toFIGS. 23 and 25, it can be seen that the other cables 64 a, 64 b, 74 aand 74 b may be similarly controlled by four other motors and associatedcylinders, including cylinders 130, 132, 134 and 136 as shown.

The gearing ratios of the base rotation joint 38 (associated with M3),the shoulder joint 36 (associated with M2) and the elbow joint 34(associated with M1) should each be about 40 to 1, while the gearingratios of the remaining joints should be about 8 to 1.

The slave robot 16 is identical to the master robot from the base up tothe joint 46, with the one exception that the gearing ratio for theremaining joints (that was 8 to 1 with the master) is 20 to 1 for theslave robot 16. Specifically, the joint 40 on the slave robot 16 issimilar to the joint 38 on the master robot 12, and the joint 42 on theslave robot is similar to the joint 36 on the master robot, and thejoint 44 on the slave robot is similar to the joint 34 on the masterrobot. The slave robot also includes cable tracking through the base 60and shoulder section and section 140 similar to the cable tracking ofthe master robot 12 through the base 58, shoulder section 94 and section82.

In the slave robot 16, the joints 46 and 48 are not controlled by anymotors. The joint 46 is similar to the joint 32 described above withreference to FIGS. 12 through 18 except that there are no cables thatextend radially outwardly from the section 142 similar to the cables 74that extend out from the section 76 on the master robot 12. There aresix cables that extend through the section 142. The cables are collectedby a cable collector (as discussed above) prior to the joint 46 wherethey are redistributed from a planar arrangement to a centrallypositioned collection. The six cables then pass through the joint 46centrally positioned similar to that shown in FIG. 14. Following thejoint 46, the cables are again redistributed by another cable collectorfrom the central position to a

The six planar distributed cables are then fed between two sets ofpulleys at the joint 48 as described above with reference to FIGS.19-22, except that all of the cables pass through the joint. There areno pulleys at joint 48 similar to the pulleys 86 at joint 34. Joints 46and 48 are passive joints.

The six cables then continue through the subsequent section 144. Thejoint 50 is identical to (though smaller in scale than) the joint 32,and is driven by two cables in the same fashion that cables 74 a and 74b drive joint 32 as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 12-18. Acable collector is also positioned on the proximate side of the joint 50to redistribute the remaining four cables into the center of the section146. The section 146 (together with the remaining four cables) pass intoa patient 22 through the trocar sleeve 20.

As shown in FIGS. 26-33, the gripper portion 18 is similar to (thoughsmaller in scale than) the handle portion 24, except that where thehandle portion included a single pulley wheel (pulley 68 in FIGS. 5 and8), the associated arrangement of the gripper portion includes twopulley wheels (see pulleys 150 of FIGS. 27 and 31). Generally, cables156 a-156 d extend through the gripper portion around pulleys 158 (FIG.29), around pulleys 160 (FIG. 30), around pulleys 150 (FIG. 31), aroundpulleys 162 (FIG. 32), and terminate on pulleys 164 (FIG. 33) as shown.

The cables 156 may be formed as discussed above in connection with thehandle portions shown in FIGS. 3-11, and the guide pulleys 150, 158, and162 may be independently freely rotating or fixed. Again, PTFE spacersmay be placed between adjacent, independently rotating pulleys.

The gripper unit provides three degrees of freedom as follows. When oneof the cables, 156 a, is moved relative the other of its air, 156 d, theassociated gripper 166 will rotate with respect to the central axis ofthe pulley 164. Similarly, when one of the cables 156 b is movedrelative the other of its pair, 156 c, then the associated gripper 168will rotate with respect to the central axis of the pulley 164. Whenboth of cables 156 a and 156 d are pulled with respect to the othercables 156 b and 156 c (and vice versa), then the gripper unit willrotate with respect to the central axis of the pulleys 160. See FIGS. 27and 30.

During operation, and with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. 34,a system including robotic manipulators of the invention, begins (step3400) by initializing variables and establishing a home position for themaster and robot slaves. The system (step 3405) then reads the outputsof the optical encoders to identify movement of the joints of the masterrobot. The system also reads the outputs of the optical encoders of theslave robot (step 3410) for identifying feedback. The feedbackinformation is utilized later in the process loop. The system thencomputes the new position of the handle based on the position sensorsignals read from the optical encoders of the master robot (step 3415).A new gripper position is then computed (step 3420) based on the newhandle position and a predetermined mapping function that maps handleposition to gripper position. The desired motor movements of the slaverobot (step 3425) are then computed based on the new desired position ofthe gripper using inverse kinematics. The desired gripper position isthen compared (step 3430) with the actual gripper position as known frommonitoring the optical encoder outputs of the slave robot motors. Thevoltages required to move the gripper to the desired position are thencalculated and applied (step 3435) proportional to the differencebetween the desired and actual positions of the gripper.

A feedback gripper position is then computed (step 3440) based on theoutputs of the optical encoders of the slave robot, using forwardkinematics. The associated handle position is then computed (step 3445)based on the feedback gripper position using the mapping function, andthe desired motor movements are calculated for the master robot usinginverse kinematics (step 3450). The feedback voltages are applied to therequired motors of the master robot (step 3455) to effect the requiredfeedback from the slave robot. The process then returns to step 3405 andbegins again. The system may cycle very rapidly, providing continuousactuation and feedback responses. The forward and inverse kinematicalequations are well known in the art, as is the generation and use ofthree space mapping functions.

The process of FIG. 35 is similar to the process of FIG. 34 except thatthe feedback signals are responsive to torque sensors instead ofposition sensors. Steps 3500-3535 are the same as steps 3400-3435 ofFIG. 34. The system of FIG. 35 then reads the outputs from torque forcesensors on the slave robot (step 3540), which outputs are then digitized(step 3545). A set of feedback gripper forces are then calculated basedon the torque sensor outputs using forward kinematics (step 3550).Feedback handle forces are then computed from the feedback gripperforces by using a mapping function (step 3555), and the desired motormovements of the master robot may then be calculated by inversekinematics (step 3560). The required voltages to be applied to themaster robot motors may then be calculated (step 3565), converted toanalog signals (step 3570), and then applied to the master robot motors(step 3575) to effect the required feedback onto the master robot. Theprocess then returns to step 3505 and begins again.

As shown in FIGS. 36 and 37, in an alternative embodiment of a systemincorporating the benefits of the invention, a robot may include a fourbar linkage system. Specifically, the link 170 is analogous to the link82 of the system shown in FIG. 1, and the joints 172 and 174 areanalogous to the joints 34 and 36 of FIG. 1. The cables controlling thelink members at the distal end of the robot may run through the joints174 and 172 as well as the member 170 similar to the system of FIG. 1.

In the system of FIGS. 36 and 37, however, the link 176 (which isanalogous to the link 76 of FIG. 1), extends beyond the joint 172. Theextended portion of member 176 is connected to another joint 178, whichin turn connects to member 180. Member 180 is connected at joint 182 tomember 184 which extends to joint 174. Members 176 and 184 are alwaysparallel to each another, as are members 170 and 180 always parallel toeach other. The joint 172 is actuated in the present embodiment, byhaving a cable extend from the base 186 around a pulley at the joint 174and fasten to member 184. When this cable is pulled, the member 184rotates with respect to the joint 174, rotating the member 176 withrespect to the joint 172. The four bar linkage system, therefore,replaces the elbow joint 34 actuator system of FIG. 1. The system ofFIGS. 36 and 37 permits the elbow joint to be actuated from closer tothe base, and may provide for greater strength and rigidity.

As shown in FIG. 38, an alternative embodiment of a gripper unit 200 ofthe invention includes link members instead of the cables and pulleys ofFIGS. 26-33. Specifically, one half of the gripper unit 200 includeslinks 202-220 for controlling gripper 222, and the other half of thegripper unit includes links 232-248 for controlling gripper 252. Thegripper unit halves are shown in somewhat exploded view. The grippers222 and 252 should be adjacent one another during operation such thatthey may each rotate about their respective openings 224 and 226 thatare mounted along a common axis 259 that is shown in exploded view inFIG. 38. The face of gripper 222 that does not include the links 210 and220, is adjacent the face of gripper 252 that does not include the links240 and 250.

Each of link members 206, 216, 236 and 246 include openings 228, 230,254 and 256 respectively, that mutually align along an axis generallyindicated at 258. In various embodiments, the links 206, 216, 236 and246 may be stacked in different orders along the axis 258. For example,the links may be ordered from top down as 206, 216, 236 and 246, or theymay be interleaved as 206, 236, 216 and 246.

As shown in FIG. 39, in a side view of one half of the gripper unit 200of FIG. 38, it can be seen that adjacent links rotate about joint axesthat are parallel with the axis 258.

As shown in FIG. 40, the gripper 222 rotates about the axis 259 throughopening 224 that is orthogonal to the axis 258. The links 206, 216, 236and 246 may rotate about the axis 258, but are otherwise fixed in place.The grippers 222 and 252 may rotate about the axis 259, and the secureda fixed distance from the axis 258, but the pair of grippers 222 and 252are together rotatable with respect to the axis 258.

During use, when link 202 is pulled away from the axis 258 with respectto link 212, then link 210 will rotate (clockwise in FIG. 39) until itcontacts a stop 260 on the gripper 222. When the stop 260 is contactedand link 202 continues to be pulled away from the axis 258, then gripper222 will begin to rotate (clockwise in FIG. 39) about its opening 224.Pulling link 212 away from the axis 258 may similarly cause the gripper222 to rotate (counterclockwise in FIG. 39) about the opening 224 whenlink 220 contacts stop 262 on the gripper 222. The second portion of thegripper unit including gripper 252 may be caused to rotate in a similarfashion by pulling links 232 or 242 away from the axis 258.

If link members 202 and 212 are both pulled away from the axis 258, thenthe entire gripper assembly (including grippers 222 and 252) will rotate(counterclockwise in FIG. 40) about the axis 258. Similarly, if links232 and 242 are both pulled away from the axis 258, then the entiregripper assembly will rotate (clockwise in FIG. 40) about the axis 258.

The gripper assembly 200 may provide greater strength, and reduced size.Moreover, the gripper assembly 200 may also provide improved accessthrough extremely small openings. If the links 210 and 220 are rotatedabout the axis 259 such that the outer ends of the links 210 and 220 aredrawn toward the axis 258 and close to one another, and the links 240and 250 of the gripper 252 are similarly collapsed upon one another,then the gripper assembly 200 may be introduced through an opening thatis only the size of the round portion of the grippers 220 and 252. Onceintroduced through the small opening, the links 210, 220, 240 and 250may be rotated outward to their respective stops (e.g., 260 on gripper222), whereupon the gripper assembly 200 may be employed within apatient.

Any of the various features of the invention disclosed herein may beemployed in a wide variety of systems. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that modifications and variations may be made to the abovedisclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An articulated apparatus comprising: an actuatorbase; a plurality of serially coupled link members that are mutuallyjoined to one another at a plurality of joints, each of which has afixed position axis of rotation relative to each link, about which thelink members rotate relative to each other, said plurality of linkmembers including a proximal link member that is proximal to saidactuator base, and a distal link member that is distal to said actuatorbase, and each link member including a proximal end and a distal end; aplurality of actuators located at said actuator base, each actuatorbeing associated with a respective link member; and a plurality oftendons, each of which is coupled to an actuator and a respective linkmember for effecting movement of each link member with respect to saidactuator base, at least one tendon for effecting movement of at leastone link member, said at least one tendon passing through the fixedposition axis of rotation of each joint that is proximal of said atleast one link member.
 2. An articulated apparatus as claimed in claim1, wherein said tendons comprise cables having a diameter ofapproximately {fraction (80/1000)} of an inch.
 3. An articulatedapparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least three of saidplurality of tendons pass through an axis of rotation of at least onejoint along the axis of rotation of the joint.
 4. An articulatedapparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of said seriallycoupled link members may be introduced into a patient during endoscopicsurgery.
 5. An articulated apparatus comprising; an actuator base; aplurality of serially coupled link members that are mutually joined toone another at a plurality of joints, each of which has a fixed positionaxis of rotation relative to each link, about which the link membersrotate relative each other, said plurality of link members including aproximal link member that is proximal to said actuator base, and adistal link member that is distal to said actuator base, and each linkmember including a proximal end and a distal end; a plurality ofactuators located at said actuator base, each actuator being associatedwith a respective link member; and a plurality of tendons, each of whichis coupled to an actuator and a respective link member for effectingmovement of each link member with respect to said actuator base, thetendon for effecting movement of each link member passing through thefixed position axis of rotation of each joint that is proximal of thelink member such that upon actuation of a tendon, only the link memberassociated with that tendon will move with respect to the actuator base.6. An articulated apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said tendonscomprise cables having a diameter of approximately {fraction (80/1000)}of an inch.
 7. An articulated apparatus as claimed in claim 5, whereinat least some of said serially coupled link members may be introducedinto a patient during endoscopic surgery.
 8. An articulated apparatuscomprising: an actuator base; a plurality of serially coupled linkmembers that are mutually joined to one another at a plurality ofjoints, at least one of which has a fixed position axis of rotationrelative to each link, about which the link members rotate relative toeach other, said plurality of link members including a proximal linkmember that is proximal to said actuator base, and a distal link memberthat is distal to said actuator base, and each link member including aproximal end and a distal end; a plurality of actuators at said actuatorbase, each actuator being associated with a respective link member; anda plurality of tendons, each of which is coupled to an actuator and arespective link member for effecting movement of each link member withrespect to said actuator base, at least one tendon for effectingmovement of at least one link member, said at least one tendon passingthrough the fixed position axis of rotation of the at least one jointthat is proximal of said at least one link member.
 9. An articulatedapparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said tendons comprise cableshaving a diameter of approximately {fraction (80/1000)} of an inch. 10.An articulated apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least threeof said plurality of tendons pass thorough an axis of rotation of atleast one joint along the axis of rotation of the joint.
 11. Anarticulated apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least some ofsaid serially coupled link members may be introduced into a patientduring endoscopic surgery.
 12. An articulated apparatus as claimed inclaim 8, wherein said link members also include a link member closer tosaid actuator base than said at least one link member, and said at leastone tendon passing through the axis of rotation of the joint from whichsaid closer link member is supported.
 13. An articulated apparatuscomprising: an actuator base; a plurality of serially coupled linkmembers that are mutually joined to one another at a plurality ofjoints, at least one of which has a fixed position axis of rotationrelative to each link, about which the link members rotate relative toeach other, said plurality of link members including a proximal linkmember that is proximal to said actuator base, and a distal link memberthat is distal to said actuator base, each link member including aproximal end and a distal end; a plurality of actuators at said actuatorbase, each actuator being associated with a respective link member; anda plurality of tendons, each of which is coupled to an actuator and arespective link member for effecting movement of each link member withrespect to said actuator base, at least one of said plurality of tendonsfor effecting movement of its associated link member passing through thefixed position axis of rotation of the at least one joint that isproximal of the associated link member such that upon actuation of atendon, only the link member associated with that tendon moves withrespect to the actuator base.
 14. An articulated apparatus as claimed inclaim 13, wherein said tendons comprise cables having a diameter ofapproximately {fraction (80/1000)} of an inch.
 15. An articulatedapparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least some of said seriallycoupled link members may be introduced into a patient during endoscopicsurgery.
 16. An articulated apparatus as claimed in claim 13, whereinsaid at least one tendon passes through the axis of rotation of thejoint from which the proximal link member is supported.
 17. Anarticulated apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein one of said linkmembers comprises an end effector.
 18. An articulated apparatuscomprising: first and second link members joined at an axis of rotation,fixed relative to each link, about which the link members rotaterelative to each other; and a drive tendon which passes axially alongthe link members to drive an element coupled from the second linkmember, the tendon passing substantially through the fixed position axisof rotation.
 19. An articulated apparatus comprising: a first linkmember; a second link member coupled to the first link member at aproximal end of the second link member by a joint having a fixedposition axis of rotation relative to each link, about which both thelink members rotate relative to each other; and at least one tendonextending through the fixed position axis of rotation of the joint suchthat movement of the second link member with respect to the first linkmember is independent of movement of the at least one tendon withrespect to the joint.
 20. An articulated apparatus comprising: a firstlink member; a second link member coupled to said first link member at aproximal end of the second link member by a joint having an axis ofrotation, the axis of rotation defining the only rotation between thelink members and about which the first and second link members rotaterelative to each other; and a plurality of mutually independentlylongitudinally moveable tendons each extending through the axis ofrotation of the joint such that movement of the second link member withrespect to the first link member is independent of longitudinal movementof the tendons with respect to the joint, the tendons being movable in alongitudinal direction that is transverse to the first axis of rotationto effect movement of a distal link member coupled to the distal end ofthe second link member.
 21. An articulated apparatus comprising: firstand second link members joined at a single axis of rotation about whichthe link members rotate relative to each other; and a drive tendon whichpasses axially along the link members to drive an element coupled fromthe second link member, the tendon passing substantially through thesingle axis of rotation.
 22. The articulated apparatus of claim 21wherein the drive tendon extends, in the proximity of said single axisof rotation, in a direction coincident with a longitudinal axis of thelink members.
 23. The articulated apparatus of claim 21 wherein saidsingle axis of rotation is a fixed position axis of rotation.
 24. Anarticulated apparatus comprising: a first link member; a second linkmember coupled to the first link member at a proximal end of the secondlink member by a joint having a single axis of rotation about which boththe link members rotate relative to each other; and at least one tendonextending through the single axis of rotation of the joint such thatmovement of the second link member with respect to the first link memberis independent of movement of the at least one tendon with respect tothe joint.
 25. An articulated apparatus comprising: a first link member;a second link member coupled to said first link member at a proximal endof the second link member by a joint having an axis of rotation, theaxis of rotation being defined by a single jointed member between thelink members and about which the first and second link members rotaterelative to each other; and at least one longitudinally moveable tendonextending through the axis of rotation of the joint such that movementof the second link member with respect to the first link member isindependent of longitudinal movement of the tendon with respect to thejoint, the tendon being movable in a longitudinal direction.
 26. Anarticulated apparatus comprising: a first link member; a second linkmember coupled to said first link member at a proximal end of the secondlink member by a joint having an axis of rotation; and at least oneelongated tendon extending in a direction of a longitudinal axis of bothsaid first and second link members, extending through the said axis ofrotation, and extending, about the proximity of said axis of rotation,in a direction that is coincident with the longitudinal axis of at leastone of said link members.
 27. The articulated apparatus of claim 26wherein the axis of rotation is static relative to each link member. 28.The articulated apparatus of claim 26 wherein said axis of rotation isformed by a single-jointed member.
 29. The articulated apparatus ofclaim 26 wherein said at least one elongated tendon extends in adirection that is coincident with the longitudinal axes of both saidfirst and second link members.
 30. An articulated apparatus comprising:a first link member; a second link member coupled to said first linkmember at a proximal end of the second link member by a joint having anaxis of rotation; said first and second link members each having alongitudinally extending axis; and at least one elongated tendonextending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of both said firstand second link members, and extending through the said axis ofrotation; said tendon being movable across said axis of rotation whilebeing maintained, in the vicinity of said axis of rotation, in-line withthe longitudinal axis of at least one of said first and second linkmembers.
 31. The articulated apparatus of claim 30 wherein the joint iscomprised of a single-jointed member.
 32. An articulated apparatuscomprising: a first link member; a second link member coupled to saidfirst link member at a proximal end of the second link member by aturnable member having a single axis of motion that permits the secondlink member to turn relative to the first link member; said first andsecond link members each having a longitudinally extending axis; and atleast one elongated tendon extending in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of both said first and second link members, andextending substantially through the said axis of motion at said turnablemember.
 33. An articulated apparatus comprising: a first link member; asecond link member coupled to said first link member at a proximal endof the second link member by a joint having an axis of rotation, theaxis of rotation being defined by a single-jointed member between thelink members and about which the first and second link members rotaterelative to each other; and at least one longitudinally moveable tendonextending substantially through the axis of rotation of the joint suchthat movement of the second link member with respect to the first linkmember is independent of longitudinal movement of the tendon withrespect to the joint, the tendon being movable in a longitudinaldirection through the axis of rotation and extending substantiallycoaxial with a longitudinal axis of at least one of said link members.